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-Short Attention Span Theater-

N.J. Governor Critical After SUV Crash

2007-04-14

Brief follow-up.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine was apparently not wearing his seat belt as required by law when his official SUV crashed into a guard rail, leaving the governor hospitalized in critical condition, a spokesman said Friday. A state trooper was driving Corzine to a meeting between Don Imus and the Rutgers women's basketball team Thursday night when another vehicle, swerving to avoid a pickup truck, hit the governor's SUV and sent it into the guard rail on the Garden State Parkway. The crash broke the governor's leg, six ribs, his sternum and a vertebra.

Authorities on Friday were still searching for the red pickup truck, which had been "driving erratically," state Police Capt. Al Della Fave said.

Corzine, 60, did not suffer any brain damage in the crash. But he won't be able to resume his duties as governor for several days, if not weeks, and he won't walk normally for months, Dr. Robert Ostrum said performing surgery on the governor Thursday night at Cooper University Hospital. Friday morning, the hospital's trauma chief, Dr. Steven E. Ross, said Corzine was stable and improving, and that he could be removed from a ventilator within the next few days. Corzine remained heavily sedated because the pain from chest injuries made it difficult to breathe, Ross said.

When Corzine arrived at the hospital, doctors said he was conscious but had several injuries: a femur bone broken in two places that had lacerated his skin, a broken sternum, six broken ribs on each side, a head laceration and a minor fracture on a lower vertebra. Ostrum said a rod was inserted in Corzine's left leg, and additional operations were scheduled for Saturday and Monday. The injuries were not considered life-threatening, but it would be at least three to six months before Corzine could walk normally, he said. "He's got a pretty significant rehab in front of him," Ostrum said.

Posted by:Fred

#15 I also read that this was the third straight NJ gov to have broken his leg while in office.

America's answer to Gaza.

/tu

Posted by: Shipman 2007-04-14 20:34

#14 The Lt. Gov says he hopes Corzine will be well enough to return to work, at least to some extent, by next week. He's dreaming.

This is the same guy who served as governor after the last guy (forget his name, too lazy to google) resigned after gay shenanigans. I also read that this was the third straight NJ gov to have broken his leg while in office. Boyfriend wanted to know if that included mob hits.

Posted by: Angie Schultz 2007-04-14 16:33

#13 Without wishing to kick someone while they're down, permit me to cite another news article about this accident:

Gov. Jon S. Corzine was apparently riding without a seat belt, in violation of state law, when he was critically injured in the crash of his official vehicle, a spokesman said Friday.

... Corzine chief of staff Tom Shea said he did not believe the governor had been wearing his seat belt.

"If he was not, he certainly should have been," Shea said, "and we would encourage the state police to issue a citation."

Shea saidCorzine usually wears his seat belt. When asked why the trooper who was driving would not have asked Corzine to put on his seat belt, Shea said the governor was "not always amenable to suggestion."

Which infers that Corzine habitually did not wear his seatbelt.

A law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press on Thursday that the governor typically does not wear his seat belt, and that his state trooper detail had not been successful in persuading him. The source spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a lack of authorization to speak on the matter.

Another version of this same article also contained this lead-in paragraph:

Gov. Jon Corzine has thought plenty about highway safety. As a U.S. senator he proposed barring drivers from using hand-held cell phones and requiring children to be buckled up on the road.

Does anyone else get the impression of a politician who felt that his own laws didn't apply to himself? While I hope that Corzine recovers from his injuries, I can only view them as largely self-inflicted.

A last question: Does anyone think that Corzine would have been charged with voluntary manslaughter if his unrestrained body had impacted and killed his vehicle's driver?

I think we can all safely hope that this incident will oblige Corzine to get over his apparent "Do as I say, not as I do" eliteist claptrap.

Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-14 15:10

#12 Fox just ran a blurb that the red pickup driver has been located and questioned by police. No charges are pending.

Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-04-14 13:20

#11 So it's Odin's will that Imus not be rehab'ed for dem pols to reach white men?

Posted by: 3dc 2007-04-14 10:24

#10 Strap your ass in. That means YOU!

Posted by: Shipman 2007-04-14 10:11

#9 triple-beam guardrail has breakaway/collapsible ends (circular)- had to be a freak angle/impact to spear the vehicle like that. I really don't like Corzine, but wish him a full recovery. Also note that seatbelts are for "the little people"

Posted by: Frank G 2007-04-14 09:10

#8 I certainly hope he recovers, but given that the people of New Jersey will have to pay for his medical care, I hope he will then go on a tour of high school assemblies telling teens about the importance of wearing a seat belt and the consequences that can follow failure to do so. Irresponsible behaviour from someone in a position of such responsibility.

Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-04-14 09:05

#7 Authorities on Friday were still searching for the red pickup truck, which had been "driving erratically," state Police Capt. Al Della Fave said.

illegal alien

Posted by: RD 2007-04-14 04:24

#6 Had a similar thing happen to a young fellow and his girl friend back in the 60's. They were in a Corvette, lost control on a curve, excessive speed. Both survived. Everyone referred to it as a "miracle." I suspect it was.

Posted by: Besoeker 2007-04-14 01:49

#5 Excellent graphic here. When the end of a guardrail punches through the side of the car you're sitting on and then towards you, a seat belt & air bag won't help much. Corzine is lucky he wasn't torn into pieces.

Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-04-14 01:43

#4 Wishing the Governor a full recovery. Yikes.

Posted by: Seafarious 2007-04-14 01:31

#3 "The guardrail penetrated the vehicle"

Yikes! I've never heard of that happening before. Must have been one hell of a crash.

Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-04-14 01:27

#2 He lost half his blood volume.

An Uncertain Prognosis, and Many Risks

Posted by: KBK 2007-04-14 01:23

#1 As the Suburban was northbound in the left lane of the parkway as it passes through Galloway Township, the red pickup, which had been on the right shoulder, moved erratically into the flow of traffic, jerking into the right northbound lane. That forced the driver of a white 2003 Dodge Ram pickup truck to swerve to the left to avoid it.

In doing so, the Dodge smacked the right front corner of the governors vehicle, which then spun out in a clockwise direction before the drivers side slammed into the end of a guardrail in the median at milepost 43.4, according to an accident report by the state police.

The guardrail penetrated the vehicle and struck both Rasinski and Governor Corzine, the one-page document said. Aides and the police explained that Mr. Corzine, who was sitting in the front passenger seat and apparently was not wearing a safety belt, hit his head on the windshield and was then thrown into the back of the vehicle.

The police said they were still investigating whether the air bag on the governors side of the car deployed as it should. Photos of the vehicle do not appear to show a deployed bag.

Ugly. The end of the guard rail penetrated the passenger compartment. Corzine impacted the dash and windshield since the airbag apparently failed, and then was thown into the back seat and ended up with his leg sticking out the window. Sounds like a Princess Di moment without French doctors.

Posted by: KBK 2007-04-14 01:18

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